Howard F. Lyman has brought the issue of the dangers of eating beef to light like never before. A former cattle rancher-turned-vegetarian and food safety activist, in 1996, Lyman revealed, to a national television audience, how the cattle industry potentially exposed Americans to Mad Cow Disease by feeding cows the remains of live animals – including other cows. As a result of his remarks, Lyman was named a co-defendant with Oprah Winfrey in the infamous “veggie libel” case brought by Texas ranchers in Amarillo.

In this shocking and powerful book, Lyman uncovers the dangerous and potentially deadly practices of the cattle and dairy industry. MAD COWBOY is a passionate manifesto for change from an industry insider whose firsthand experiences will alter the way you think about your food, and the people who produce it, forever. “Sure, I used to enjoy my steaks as much as the next guy,” writes Lyman. “But if you knew what I know about what goes into them and what they can do to you, you’d probably be a vegetarian like me.”

A fourth generation dairy farmer and cattle rancher, Lymanbecame enamored of the “bold new age of chemically enhanced agriculture” as a student in agricultural college. Spurning the organic farming methods of his father and grandfather, he became a convert to modern chemical farming techniques: he fed his cows with hormones and antibiotics, and blanketed his farm with pesticides and herbicides. With his mind relentlessly focused on profits, he refused to acknowledge the harmful effects that this steady stream of chemicals might pose for the environment and for consumers who would later ingest these chemicals as meat. Admitting that at the time he “never met a chemical he didn’t like, ” Lyman says that he, like other dairy and cattle farmers, poisoned his animals and polluted his farms.

FOR EXAMPLE:

Cattle ranchers turned cows into cannibals. Until August 1997, cattle were routinely fed the remains of other cows. The Department of Agriculture and the FDA banned the practice, fearing the spread of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, better known as Mad Cow Disease. But it remains legal to feed cows “rendered” — dead and ground up — parts of certain animals, including the blood of other cows, despite the fact that this practice may allow deadly illnesses to enter the food chain. In 1995, five million tons of processed slaughterhouse leftovers were sold for animal feed.

In an effort to prevent disease, Lyman, like other ranchers, fed his cows antibiotics even before they became ill. Soon, Lyman was on an “antibiotic treadmill” constantly changing drugs as the cows became resistant to them, and even using antibiotics after they were banned because of the dangers they posed to human health. Every day, Lyman sprayed his feedlot with insecticides which would then fall into the cattle’s food and water — and eventually become part of someone’s dinner. Ranchers relentlessly used growth hormones, particularly DES, which they stockpiled when it was banned.

To increase their profits, ranchers also routinely fed growth hormones to cattle within two weeks of their slaughter, despite a government ban on the practice. Dairy ranchers continue to use recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) to enhance milk production, despite the fact that this chemical — which has been implicated in causing cancer and other diseases — shows up in milk.

In 1989, the discovery of a rare spinal tumor led Lyman to examine his life. In MAD COWBOY, he tells the moving story of his own personal transformation, and how he became a crusader for organic farming and more conscious eating habits. Lyman describes the devastating effects that modern feed lot operations are having – and will continue to have – on the environment, and also outlines the profound health benefits that switching to a vegetarian diet offers, including reducing the risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. After adopting a vegetarian diet, Lyman himself lost 130 pounds and lowered his cholesterol by more than 150 points.

“…I felt better knowing that there was one answer to many of the different ills afflicting both ourselves and our environment. Everything revolved around the fork.”(MAD COWBOY, p. 81)

MAD COWBOY is an honestly written, urgent wake-up call to America, a heartfelt plea for all consumers to take a closer look at the food they eat, and how it is grown.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Howard F. Lyman is a fourth-generation family farmer from Montana. After 20 years of operating a feed lot, he sold his ranch and started working for farmers in financial trouble. He was a lobbyist in Washington, and ran for Congress in 1982.

Howard travels over 100,000 miles every year as a speaker and lecturer. A Feature Documentary on his life is now in post-production. He lives in Alexandria, Virginia, with his wife Willow Jeane, and his cat, Ceasar.

A couple of our friends recently started the Capital Region Animal Rights Book Club. The first meeting is coming up and the first book to be discussed is Animal Liberation by Peter Singer. Snacks are welcome, but not mandatory, as long as they are 100% vegan.

Sunday, February 10th at 2:00
Troy, NY (exact location to be released only to those attending since it’s being held at a private residence)

You can find out more and RSVP on Facebook or Meetup. We hope to see you there!

If you’re planning any sort of vegan or animal rights-themed event let us know. We’ll happily help to spread the word!